Another blow for Derby who are set to lose talented youngster Luke Thomas

After losing manager Gary Rowett to Stoke City last night, who guided the club to a sixth-place finish, the Rams are already awaiting another setback as talented youngster Luke Thomas is reportedly preparing to leave Pride Park.

Thomas moved to Pride Park in January 2016 from Cheltenham Town and the Gloucestershire club will reportedly receive a portion of any potential transfer fee.

The 19-year-old, who is from the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire has so far made two substitute appearances for the first team, in home wins over Queens Park Rangers and Bolton Wanderers.

The loss of Thomas may not prove as costly as manager Rowett. However, the potential departure of the teenager comes at an awful time for Rams supporters considering he is considered one of their most promising academy players.

(Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images)

Thomas gained valuable senior experience after he spent time on loan at Gloucester City in 2016/17, impressing for the then National League North outfit.

He is a versatile attacking midfielder who has made a name for himself in his home county. He is considered one of the best youngsters to come out of Gloucestershire in recent years, and Derby losing him could soon prove a huge loss.

The arrival of Manuel Pellegrini at West Ham, who likes to play an attacking brand of football, will come as exciting news to Thomas who, could have a huge future at the London club if the move goes through.

The forward made 17 Premier League 2 appearances for the Rams under-23 side, scoring six goals and providing one assist.

It is a big fee to pay for a youngster but the price tag only represents how talented this forward is. If reports are true, it could be another huge loss for the Rams.

I am a freelance sports journalist currently studying sports journalism at Staffordshire University with a passion for all things football. I'm a keen supporter of Liverpool Football Club, as well as my local side Forest Green Rovers. I've worked for online newspaper VAVEL UK as well as a media assistant for Chester FC in the Vanarama National League.

After playing predominantly on the left for Hull City, Wilson will likely play on his favoured right flank this season, which will allow him to continue to work on cutting inside and firing across the goalkeeper.

(photo by Shaun Brooks/Action Plus via Getty Images)

His goal-scoring nous is something that is becoming desirable amongst wide players, whose natural role is increasingly being consumed by full-backs.

Additionally, while he has more than enough stamina to run out 90 minutes, he lacks some of the explosiveness of a traditional winger.

Not to worry, he instead focusses on linking up with central players – playing off them and combining to work his way into the penalty box and create space to shoot.

Season Ahead

Wilson arrives at a Derby County side in a much more favourable position than Hull City were when he was loaned there last season.

As promotion hopefuls, and with the requisite parts to be a pretty strong attacking force, the 21-year-old should feel confident in being able to impress onlookers from his parent club Liverpool.

He is aiming high. Wilson seems determined to be a success at Derby, then Liverpool.

‘Lampard has a lot of work to do’ – Twitter reacts to Derby’s tactics against Reading

Derby County secured their first competitive victory under Frank Lampard, after Tom Lawrence scored a dramatic late winner against Reading.

There were a lot of questions regarding the way that the visitors would set-up under their new manager. Despite their victory, Derby didn’t deliver a convincing performance and there are problems for Lampard to address on the training pitch.

They dominated possession with 63.5% of the ball, but they were open at the back and they were lucky that Reading didn’t push them more. The Rams regularly gave the ball away in their own half and could have conceded more on another day.

For a team to effectively play out from the back, they need confident centre-backs that can put their foot on the ball and pick a forward pass. Neither Curtis Davies nor Richard Keogh looked comfortable on Friday evening. The latter, especially, was nervous every time he had possession. He made one defensive error and was fortunate not to cost his team a goal.

Keogh ended the match with a pass success rate of 83%. This isn’t bad, but Lampard will want his centre-backs to be aiming to have a pass success rate above 85% and nearer 90% in the current system.

(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

The full-backs were an area of concern too, as they were both asked to push up the pitch at every opportunity, which left gaps at the back. Andre Wisdom and Max Lowe finished the game with yellow cards, as they were having to chase back and commit themselves to challenges. Their pass success rates of 67% and 69% respectively need work.

For the full-backs to play with such freedom, the team needs a quality ball-winning midfielder that can sit in front of the back four. One wasn’t present at the Madejski Stadium and Derby’s back four were vulnerable as a result. It is hoped that George Evans could be that player, but that is far from certain.

Lampard will make it clear to his players that a team can’t perfect a tactical set-up overnight and this was a positive learning experience for the squad. That is true, but there were some individual weaknesses that were there for all to see and that is a concern.

It is admirable that Lampard wants to play this brand of football and it could develop over time, but he needs to be pragmatic with what he has available to him. At times, Derby went long to David Nugent and picked up the second ball. This caused more problems for Reading.

Frank Lampard playing a possession game, but Wisdom, Keogh and Davies struggling to make any form of forward pass. Lowe looks the only one who isn't a bag of nerves. All the quality is up top, but Wilson and Mount can't get on the ball.

Overall not what I expected from the first game but great result. Mount and Wilson brought the energy required. Lawrence the Ronaldo of the side… time we invest in a quality center back, spent nearly 40mil in mid/forward over the seasons and less than 5 on defenders#dcfc